MAKING CITIES SADER: ACTION BRIEFS FOR MUNICIPAL STAKEHOLDERS

aCtion Briefs Making Cities safer: ACtIOn BRIeFs FOR MUnICIPAL stAKehOLdeRs Number 3 • March 2009 seRIes 1: Invest sMARtLy In sAFety FOR the CIty seRIes 2:tACKLe sAFety sUCCessFULLy In the CIty THE CHALLENGE Crime can be reduced and communities made safer by thinking differently — acting smartly with taxpayers’ money. Two out of three Canadians favour investments in education and jobs over police, judges and prisoners as the way to lower crime. On average each year in Canada, for a city of 100,000population: • 6,000adultsareassaulted,1,600persons are sexually assaulted, and 1,800 thefts occur from or of cars; • Theloss,injuryandtraumaisequivalent to $150 million; • Policeserviceswillcost$30millionout of local taxes and correctional services will cost $9 million out of federal and provincial taxes. HARNESSING KNOWLEDGE TO PREVENT CRIME In 2008, the Big Cities Mayors Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) called on the Government of Canada to match — dollar for dollar — increased funding forlawenforcementwithsustainedinvestment in targeted services that preventcrime. The Action Briefs recommend that a city of 100,000 citizens invest $100,000 a year to guide and mobilize more effective actions to reduce crime and victimization — some cities are already investing more and so enjoying significantly more benefits in terms of community safety. Institute for the Prevention of Crime www.ipc.uOttawa.ca K E Y S O U R C E S O F A S S I S T A N C E A N D I N F O R M A T I O N Cities looking for assistance to investmoresmartly andtacklesafetymoresuccessfullycanturntothe followingcities,governmentandnon-governmentcentresofexpertise,andpublications.Theycan also turn to the authors of the Action Briefs (see acknowledgements). Details on ways to access thesesourcesandfootnotesfortheActionBriefswillbepostedontheInstituteforthePrevention of Crime’s (IPC) website at www.ipc.uOttawa.ca MEMBERS OF THE MUNICIPAL NETWORK The community safety oficials from 14 municipalities in Canada who have collaborated with IPC and now form the Municipal Network are available to share their successes and experience. PUBLICATIONS - RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION Federation of Canadian Municipalities - National Action to Prevent Crime and Enhance Community Safety (2008) / Policy Statement on Community and Crime Prevention (2008) United Nations Economic and Social Council – Guidelines for the Prevention of Crime 11th Commission on the Prevention of Crime and Criminal Justice (2002) Saskatoon SK Calgary AB Regina SK Winnipeg MB Quebec City QC Ottawa ON Toronto ON World Health Organization – Preventing violence: A guide to implementing the recommendations of the World report on violence and health (2002) PUBLICATIONS - TOOLKITS Edmonton AB Surrey BC Vancouver BC Halifax NS St. John NB Waterloo Region ON Montreal QC European Forum for Urban Safety – Guidance on Local Safety Audits: A Compendium ofInternational Practice (2007) Federation of Canadian Municipalities – Primer on Municipal Crime Prevention (2000) SELECTED GOVERNMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENT CENTRES OF CRIME PREVENTION EXPERTISE IN CANADA natIonaLCrIMePreVentIonCentreCanaDaprovidesnationalleadershipandfundsmulti-year programs that support effective and cost-eficient ways to prevent and so reduce crime by addressing known risk-factors in high-risk populations and places. Fondation Docteur Philippe-Pinel and International Centre for the Prevention of Crime – TheKey to Safer Municipalities (2004) PUBLICATIONS – HARNESSING THE PROMISE OF PREVENTION safe CoMMUnItIes seCretarIat aLBerta orchestrates collaboration between nine social development and enforcement ministries to reduce crime by developing and funding a major three pronged strategy of prevention, treatmentandenforcementbasedonevidence about what works. InternatIonaL Centre for tHe PreVentIon of CrIMe provides for international exchange of knowledge and experience between governments and organizations about what works to improve MInIstÈre De La sÉCUrItÉ PUBLIQUe QUÉBeC adopted the first provincial policy on crime prevention in Canada in 2001. This reduces crime through inter-ministerial collaboration, municipal partnerships and planning,researchandtraining,andsoon. InstItUte for tHe PreVentIon of CrIMe develops and brings together scientific knowledge and experience from authoritative sources. It partners with governments and organizations to harness knowledge so that Institute for the Prevention of Crime – Making Cities Safer: International Strategies and Practices (2007) / Making Cities Safer: Canadian Strategies and Practices (2008) Institute for the Prevention of Crime – Building a Safer Canada: First Report of the National Working Group on Crime Prevention (2007) / IPC Review Issues 1, 2, 3 (2007-2009) International Centre for the Prevention of Crime – International Compendium of Crime Prevention Practices (2008) / Public Nuisances Related to Drugs and Prostitution: A Practical Guide for Local Action (2007) / Women’s Safety: A Shared Global Concern Compendium of Practices and Policies (2008) Irvin Waller – Less Law, More Order: The Truth about Reducing Crime (2006) policies and programs that reduce crime and Canadians will enjoy lower rates of crime enhancecommunitysafety. and victimization. Why Invest* StrategicOverview Municipalities, who make the shift to invest in sound planning of prevention to tackle crime before it happens, will reduce crime by better allocating their own funds and leveraging funding from other orders of government, the private sector and foundations. They are the order of government best positioned to orchestrate collaboration between municipal services, local agencies and the public to tackle the places and situations that lead to crime. Canadian task forces and evidence confirm the ¨promise of prevention¨ — investments in tackling the causes of crime before it happens are effective and cost eficient. Two out of three Canadians agree that investments in education and jobs over police, judges and prisoners are the way to lower crime. Though most Canadians feel safe in cities, crime and disorder impact negatively on the quality of life of taxpayers. They influence citizens´ decisions to stay in the city and use public space. They influence real estate values and business success. They put pressure to increase police budgets further. For an average municipality of 100,000 population, the estimated annual costs of crime to victims and the public exceeds $150 million. The costs to taxpayers for policing exceed $30 million from municipal taxes and are growing. Citizens also pay $9 million for corrections from federal and provincial taxes. So municipalities have much to gain from investing in more effective crime prevention. Action for Municipal Stakeholders 1. Encourage the leadership of Mayors and city councillors to spearhead action to invest in more effective prevention of crime before it happens; 2. Find at least one dollar per citizen to plan how to ¨invest smartly in safety for the city¨ and so be able to allocate and leverage additional funds to ¨tackle safety successfully in thecity¨; 3. Use these Action Briefs and their resources to guide the development of policy and programs that will mobilize key stakeholders and so harness Canadian and international experience and evidence to prevent crime. * Prepared by Irvin Waller, Institute for the Prevention of Crime 2 seRIes 1: Invest sMARtLy In sAFety FOR the CIty Justification Crime will be reduced and communities made safer if municipalities, local agencies and citizens act differently to tackle crime before it happens — invest in more pre-crime prevention. These problems affect women differently from men. They are more acute in some areas of cities than others. While the young may be often the victims, the elderly may experience more fear. Municipalities that find at least one dollar per For an average municipality of 100,000, the person to plan how to ¨invest smartly in safety for the city¨ will be able to allocate and leverage additional funds to ¨tackle safety successfully in the city¨ and so get better results in reducing crime effectively and cost efficiently. national statistics are equivalent to 6,000 assaults on adults, 1,600 sexual assaults, and 1,800 thefts from or of cars. For that municipality, the costs to victims and the public for common crimes are estimated at $150 million. Good planning means sound sustained In response, citizens are paying $30 million for investments, some of which may be allocated or leveraged from other orders of government, the private sector and foundations. This will get a better balance between pre-crime prevention and reactive policing and criminal justice. This means fewer crimes, less pressure on municipal taxes for more police, and better quality of life for citizens. The Canadian public agrees that prevention is better than cure. Two out of three Canadians favour investments in education and jobs over police, judges and prisoners as the way to lower crime. TheChallenge Most Canadians feel safe in their neighbourhoods but municipalities face a range of crime and disorder problems which undermine the quality of life of their taxpayers and citizens as well as the use of public space and the success of businesses and real estate. Reports from Statistics Canada show one in four policing services, and rising, out of local taxes and $9 million for corrections out of federal and provincial taxes. The cost of an additional police officer is estimated at $100,000 and an average prison inmate at $80,000. The amount for community development is significant but not enough is targeted to where it would make a difference. It does not need to be this way. Harnessing the Promise of Prevention Canadian parliamentary committees and task forces as well as reports from international organizations such as the UN and the World Health Organization confirm the promise of prevention — violence and property crime is preventable. Many of the pre-crime interventions are effective within a year or so of their implementation and they are more cost efficient than adding more police, lawyers and prisoners. A stitch in time saves nine. Studies by the Rand adults to be a victim of a common crime in a year of Corporation confirm that a dollar invested now which 40% are victimized more than once. Statistics Canada showed two out of five school age children had been assaulted in a year — a study in Toronto which likely would be similar or worse in other cities. in parent training or stopping youth dropping out of school avoids $7 for increased incarceration. A dollar for enriched child care saves $17 in criminal justice costs. Action Briefs for Municipal Stakeholders 3 Over time the costs of investing in pre-crime prevention generate dividends for Canadians who will live better lives. Taxpayers will save notional costs many times over by reducing the need for policing, lawyers and corrections to respond to these crimes. The Municipal Network Municipalities are the order of government most able to collaborate with local agencies and neighbourhoods to identify the needs for service and so tackle the multiple causes of crime in their areas most in need. Most countries in Western Europe have realized this — Belgium for instance provides municipalities with $5 per citizen for community safety planning and action. In 2006, the Institute for the Prevention of Crime (IPC) with financial support from the National Crime Prevention Centre invited the Mayors of 14 municipalities to delegate an official responsible for community safety to join the Municipal Network for Crime Prevention. For the Network and other municipalities, IPC reviewed the most recent evidence and experience in Europe and North America in Making Cities Safer: International Strategies and Practices (2007). Then IPC examined the current state of crime prevention in the 14 municipalities and contrasted developments with the leading international developments. In Making Cities Safer: Canadian Strategies and Practices (2008), the Municipal Network called for a stronger role of municipalities in prevention through leadership, more sustained partnerships, and a focus on what works and how to deliver it. But change needs vision, leadership and knowledge of what actions to take. ActionBriefsfor MunicipalStakeholders The IPC has now developed Action Briefs on effective steps to increase pre-crime prevention in consultation with the 14 municipalities. They provide a snapshot of knowledge and experience for municipal stakeholders, such as Mayors, councillors, police chiefs, and chief administrative officers of cities or school boards. The Action Briefs show how investment in prevention will get results and cost efficiently — less gang related homicides, less street violence, less violence against women, less violence against Aboriginal peoples and so on. They are organized around a Series 1: Invest Smartly in Safety for the City, which focuses on choosing the right investment, planning and so on. Series 2: Tackling Safety Successfully in the City focuses on solving problems common to municipalities, such as street violence, violence against women and property crime. SeriesI–InvestSmartly in Safety for the City 1.2 Invest Smartly shows how to use knowledge and experience to target what works and avoid what does not work. It calls for matching increases in expenditures on enforcement with increases in effective and sustained pre-crime prevention. It talks to ways to guide and leverage funding from other orders of government, the private sector and foundations. 1.3 Take Responsibility demonstrates why and how to create or strengthen a responsibility centre — a small secretariat — to develop and foster collaboration between the municipality, school boards, the police service and non-governmental organizations. This can reap dividends in focused pre-crime prevention, including through tri-partite arrangements with other orders of government. ... - tailieumienphi.vn